UN experts call for accountability, end to violence after a year of war
A group of UN human rights experts have reiterated their call on all warring parties in the Middle East to “immediately cease hostilities” in a statement marking one year since Hamas’s October 7 attacks and Israel’s war on Gaza.
“The past year has seen a devastating escalation in human suffering, with severe consequences for the Palestinian people, Israelis and the entire Middle East region,” the experts said.
“We express today, our heartfelt compassion to all victims and their families, especially the children, who should have been spared the scourge of war, and recall the heavy human cost of this conflict and immediate need for peace and accountability,” they said.
The group said Hamas’s attacks on Israel and Israel’s ensuing war on Gaza constitute war crimes and called on the international community to investigate “these grave violations” and ensure full reparation for victims and their families.
They also called for an arms embargo on Israel and expressed alarm at the expansion of the violence, particularly in Lebanon.
A plane takes off from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, as smoke from Israeli strikes billows over southern suburbs in Beirut, Lebanon, October 5
Hezbollah claims more attacks on Israeli military positions
The Lebanese armed group said it fired volleys of rockets and missiles at Israeli troops in Shlomi, Hanita and Marj in northern Israel. The barrage set off sirens in the region, according to Israeli media. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The launches came shortly after Hezbollah claimed a missile attack on Israel’s Glilot base near the central city of Tel Aviv, which is home to the intelligence unit 8200.
Quiet in Beirut after Israel claims attack on key Hezbollah site
At the moment, it is eerily quiet in Beirut. We have not seen anything like this for days.
But five hours ago, the Israelis did issue a warning on social media to evacuate two buildings in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut. They then said that they bombed a couple of buildings and that they had gotten the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah.
Further south, the Israelis also issued a warning for people to leave all beaches and all areas near the Awali River, from the mouth of the river all the way to the south at the border with Israel. This essentially cuts off about a quarter of the Lebanese coastline affecting more than a million people.
